Kerala
is well-known for backwaters, boat races and green symphony.Kerala have
exotic backwaters and lagoons. Begin at Alappuzha which is hailed as the
Venice of the east because of its intricate maze of backwaters canals and
bridges when the visitor leaves alappuzha on a boat voyage through kuttanad
he will find himself travelling along canals where the level of water is
often higher than that of the green fields on either side you could journey
right up to kochi via the backwaters many beautiful sights greet you along
the way such as the chinese fishing nets

Day
01. ARRIVE COCHINArrive late evening in Cochin, where our
representative will meet you outside the customs area and escort you to your
hotel. He will then assist you in checking in.

Stay overnight in
Cochin.

Day 02. IN COCHIN This
morning after breakfast enjoy the city tour of Cochin. Visit the Dutch
Palace that was built originally by the Portuguese but later in the 17th
century modified by the Dutch and presented to the King of Kochi.
Later visit the Jewish synagogue, decorated with Chinese tiles
and Belgian chandeliers. (It is closed on every Friday, Saturday and
national holidays). After this, visit St. Francis Church, the oldest
church built by the Europeans. Lastly proceed to view the one of its kind
fishing nets, aptly called Chinese fishing nets as it is believed that
traders from the court of Chinese ruler Kublai Khan introduced these nets.

Later in the evening visit the auditorium to witness a performance
of the classical dance, 'Kathakali'. The best part is to see the
laborious process of make-up being done on these artists.

Stay
overnight in Cochin.

Day 03 COCHIN -
THEKKADY (125 MILES)This morning after breakfast drive on to Thekkady
(Periyar). Upon arrival check in at the hotel and relax. Thekkady is known
for its cool climate due its location, the beautiful Periyar forest
and the wildlife sanctuary therein. The region is also famous for
its spice plantations.

Early afternoon enjoy a boat ride on Lake
Periyar, in Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. This sanctuary is spread over an
area of 777 sq. km, of which 360 sq. km is thick evergreen forest. If lucky
you could come across a herd of elephants.

Later in the evening
enjoy the ever-famous Ayurvedic massage or just lie by the pool. You could
also enjoy a short walk in one of the spice plantations.

Stay
overnight in Thekkady.

Day 04. THEKKADY - ALLEPEY TO BOARD THE HOUSE BOAT (KETTUVALLAM)
Early morning enjoy another boat ride on the lake and then return to the
hotel for breakfast.

Later proceed to Allepey by road to
board the houseboat for an overnight trip through canals to Kumarakom.

Kettuvallam - means stitched boat. They are 70 feet long,
made with wooden planks, joined and stitched together with coir (Coconut
Fibre) ropes and painted on the outside with cashew nut shell oil or fish
oil. A Kettuvallam equipped with all modern facilities and
requirements is called a Houseboat. The houseboat has a living room, a
sunbathing deck, and a bedroom with attached European style bath and a
kitchen. The boat has solar lamps and fan.

The boat moves by an
outboard engine of 25 HP (which does not make much noise), enroute visiting
villages to see coir making, local tea shops, paddy fields, temples, beaches
etc. till sunset.

At night the boat is anchored at a beautiful
and quiet part of the lake.

Stay overnight on board the
houseboat.

Day 05. ARRIVE AT KUMARAKOMEnjoy
breakfast on the deck and then sail to Kumarakom jetty and check
into the hotel.

Seemingly afloat on the placid waters of the Vembanad
Lake, Kumarakom is a quaint little hamlet of tiny islands, about 53
miles from Cochin International airport.

The Kumarakom bird
sanctuary, a favorite haunt of migratory birds like the Siberian stork,
as well as egrets, darters, herons and teals, is a 14-acre island close to
Kumarakom.

Relax or just enjoy a sunset boat cruise organized by
the hotel.

Stay overnight in Kumarakom.

Day 06. KUMARAKOM - MARARIKULAM This morning after breakfast you
will drive on to the little village of Mararikulam. The village
of Mararikulam is tucked away behind a line of dense palms that rise
like a sudden rampart of green out of the sands. The huts are thatched with
palm and tied with coir, or coconut rope.

Stay overnight in
Marari Beach Resort.

Day 07. IN
MARARIKULAM This day is free for you to either enjoy the pool or an
Ayurvedic massage, or simply relax on this quiet beach.

Stay
overnight in Marari Beach Resort.

Day
08. MARARIKULAM - COCHIN This morning after an early breakfast
proceed to Cochin airport to connect to the flight for onward destination

Note: You could take the extension to Bangalore/Mysore/Chikmagalur
as per our program "Spice of the South" or travel to Goa for a
beach stay or to Bombay.